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DC Universe: Everything to know about the superhero streaming service

DC's new streaming service launches Saturday with lots of Batman for Batman Day.

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Expertise Phones, texting apps, iOS, Android, smartwatches, fitness trackers, mobile accessories, gaming phones, budget phones, toys, Star Wars, Marvel, Power Rangers, DC, mobile accessibility, iMessage, WhatsApp, Signal, RCS
Morgan Little
Mike Sorrentino
4 min read
DC Universe

DC Universe, the new streaming service for all things Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and more, launches Saturday.

Our first hands-on look at DC's big foray into streaming services came at San Diego Comic-Con earlier this year. While the service will not initially feature upcoming DC movies like Aquaman and Wonder Woman 1984, or its current slate of shows on The CW, it does include a library of live-action and animated movies, TV shows, documentaries, a comic book library and offers for exclusive toys.

So if you're excited by the first trailer for the gritty new Titans series, want to explore the depths of a Swamp Thing show or check out the just-announced Stargirl series, you're going to need a DC Universe subscription.

But what sets that subscription service apart from the Netflix, Hulu and HBO subscriptions you may already have? Let's break it down…

The new Titans series is looking gritty.

DC Entertainment

It's $7.99 a month

Let's get the price out of the way first. DC Universe will cost $7.99 a month, with annual membership currently available for $75, and it comes with three free months of service.

For comparison, that's as much as Hulu's introductory tier and Netflix's Basic option

Note: Preorders are only available in the US. International pricing to come...

Where can I watch?

When DC Universe launches, it can be viewed using apps for iOS and Android phones and tablets along with streaming boxes such as Roku, Android TV, Apple TV and Chromecast. The service will also be available using a web browser. 

Titans kicks off a big focus on original programming

So why should you add DC Universe to your pile of subscriptions? DC has been successful in adapting properties like the Flash and Supergirl to TV, with both series anchoring an entire DC television universe that airs on the CW and comes to other streaming partners. But, as even fans will admit, those shows focus more on fun than seriousness.

That's where Titans comes in. Just take a look at the trailer revealed at Comic-Con:

Yes, Robin said "F*** Batman ." This is a far more adult take on the Teen Titans than fans may expect, but it falls in line with DC's vision for Universe. Instead of creating a universe that's extensively interconnected, DC is opting to put its characters into their own settings. Which brings us to…

We know what DC's first batch of original programming looks like

doom-patrol-title
DC Entertainment

With the announcement of Stargirl during a Geoff Johns-centric panel, DC's original lineup expands to six shows:

  • Titans
  • Swamp Thing
  • Doom Patrol
  • Stargirl
  • Harley Quinn
  • Young Justice: Outsiders

So far, just Titans and Doom Patrol are known to take place in a shared universe. Swamp Thing, on the other hand, will be horror-inspired. Harley Quinn and Young Justice: Outsiders are animated. And Stargirl "reimagines Stargirl and the very first superhero team, the Justice Society of America."

It's not just all about original shows

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The DC Universe app as seen on an iPad.

DC Universe

We saw a number of older shows and movies included in our early demo of DC Unlimited, from Batman Beyond to the first two seasons of Batman: The Animated series and The Adventures of Lois and Clark, the 1970s Wonder Woman show and yes, the Christopher Nolan Batman films. While we don't have a complete list, DC Universe's Saturday launch coincides with Batman Day, and with that will be plenty of Batman content:

Live-action movies

  • Batman (1989)
  • Batman Forever
  • Batman Returns
  • Batman and Robin
  • Batman Begins
  • The Dark Knight

Animated movies

  • Batman Ninja
  • Batman: Bad Blood
  • Gotham By Gaslight
  • Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
  • Batman: The Dark Knight Returns

Animated series

  • Batman Beyond
  • Batman: The Brave and the Bold
  • Batman: The Animated Series (remastered in HD)

Comics

  • The Dark Knight Returns
  • Batman: Year One (1987)
  • Batman: Year Two
  • Batman: Shaman
  • Batman: Mad Love
  • Batman: Year 100
  • Batman #1
  • Detective Comics #27
dc-universe-home-crop
DC Entertainment

Comics will live alongside original shows and movies

No, we don't know exactly how many comics will be available and which series will be included. Warner Bros. Digital Networks President Craig Hunegs told CNET that thousands of books will be available at any given time, from 80 years of comics.

"Members can watch a show or movie, and then flip to reading comics instantaneously," Hunegs said, mentioning that the comics included in the library may at times be curated to line up with storylines being followed in DC's TV shows and movies.

So, a complete Shazam/Captain Marvel archive to pair with the upcoming Shazam film, perhaps? That's totally a possibility.

Watch this: The DC Comic-Con experience lets you channel Harley Quinn-levels of rage

All comics will be available both on- and offline, with a particularly interesting capacity for TV-based viewing that brings pages to up to 4K resolutions.

That comics archive puts that $7.99 price in a new perspective, given that Marvel's digital comics service, Marvel Unlimited, costs $9.99 a month. That service does have a bigger library, with more than 20,000 books currently available, but it doesn't go beyond the world of pages and panels.

What about toys?

jl-animated-promo-v01-r01

Action figures based on the Justice League animated series are coming exclusively to DC Universe.

DC Collectibles

DC Universe will also include a store with merchandise that is exclusively available from the service. At launch will be a series of action figures based on the Justice League animated series that ran from 2001 to 2004, with Batman, Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern and Hawkgirl available at launch. In October, Aquaman and Wonder Woman will arrive, followed by The Flash and Superman in November. Each figure will sell for $28 or all eight can be purchased in a bundle for $194 until Nov. 30.

We'll see if that's enough to convince fans beyond the most hardcore to cough up another $8 a month to access their favorite superhero universes. Until then, check out our more in-depth impressions of DC Universe, and follow along with all of our San Diego Comic-Con 2018 coverage here.

Originally published July 20.
Update, Sept. 14: Regularly updated as more details emerge.

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